A study of one million people has found that physical inactivity costs the global economy $67.5 billion a year in healthcare and productivity losses, but an hour a day of exercise could eliminate most of that.

Here we go again. Our lifestyles are not only contributing to sky high healthcare costs they are literally killing us. If it weren’t for prescription drugs to compensate the death toll would be a lot higher yet, let’s blame drug companies for OUR poor health.

There are many reasons people don’t exercise and a busy schedule is the most common reason. Whether the busy schedule is due to a job or kids or both, many people can’t imagine fitting exercise into a packed day. While some employers encourage their employees to exercise by providing on campus gyms or paying for health club membership most still don’t.

Not only don’t we exercise, but Americans don’t take enough vacation days and are too wired to their company emails to relax and enjoy life.

Why can’t the AMA, the CDC and insurers band together to fight the lack of exercise? We were able to greatly reduce smoking by linking it to cancer, we have to do the same for lack of exercise. Doctors have to be the first line offense in the fight against unhealthy lifestyles and insurers need to get into the act as well. Every insurer should be giving rebates to customers who either use a health club or get other exercise as measured by their smart devices. We can’t sit idly by and complain about drug prices while we are literally killing ourselves by sitting on the couch with the remote to the TV.

Apple, and other smart device companies, should design OO’s so that they warn people about the lack of physical activity rather than “how much time they spend on social media”. Until we acknowledge this threat to our healthcare costs are going to continue to increase rapidly.